Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves Review

by R834, 5th June 2011

Title:Sackboy's Prehistoric MovesUK Release Date:

14th December 2010

Available For:PS3Reviewed On:PS3

Puzzled by LittleBigPlanet 2's lack of Move support?
Puzzle no longer - Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves is LittleBigPlanet’s
contribution to the motion controlled gaming world. A completely standalone game from LBP, Prehistoric Moves can either be bought from the Playstation Store or found in the Extras section of your LittleBigPlanet 2 disk.

Personally, my copy of Prehistoric Moves came with LittleBigPlanet 2 - the game is actually on the disc rather than being a download code, so there's no worry about buying it preowned, although you do need to worry about selling the game, as a copy of Prehistoric Moves installed from an LBP2 disc rather cleverly requires said LBP2 disc to be in the PS3 when you play it, so selling your copy of LBP2 will effectively sell your copy of Prehistoric Moves as well.

Firstly, I would like to say that Prehistoric Moves is a great, fun little game, but there are some bad points I need to outline:

Prehistoric Moves is essentially a demo of what the Move can be used for in terms of LittleBigPlanet gameplay – the opening sequence of the game even begins by stating that the game is ‘a demo’, so be aware that this isn’t a fully-fledged LittleBigPlanet game.

To be able to play, you’ll need a Move controller, and at least one other person, who, due to the lack of online mode, will need to be in the room with you.

This is a very standalone game, not only in terms of story, but also in terms of content. Prehistoric Moves does not access your LittleBigPlanet save data, meaning you cannot use any of your previously collected stickers, decorations or costumes. Perhaps even more devastating is the fact the simply brilliant costumes that come with Prehistoric Moves, including my personal favourite, the dinosaur skeleton costume, currently cannot be extracted from the game into either LittleBigPlanet 1 or 2.

On top of this, there is a distinct lack of Create mode, which is a shame as I’m sure there are tons of talented LBP creators out there itching to get their hands on the Move-interactive materials.

OK, if the previous points haven’t put you off, let’s continue with the review.

Due to the fact that Prehistoric Moves runs on the original LittleBigPlanet engine, the game doesn’t look as visually impressive as LittleBigPlanet 2, however the fun gameplay of both games is there in the gameplay.

As you may have guessed from the title, Prehistoric Moves takes place in a prehistoric themed world, with cavemen and dinosaurs abundant. Stephen Fry returns to narrate the tutorial videos that pop up in the first levels, which are both funny and informative. LittleBigPlanet’s cute humour extends into the levels too - the Creator of the prehistoric world is Terrance Dactyl, for example.

As always, up to 4 people can play at the same time as Sackboys; running, jumping and generally platforming their way through the levels. One additional player uses the Move controller to control a small crosshair on the screen, which can only interact with objects made of a special pink Move material. The Move player is the key to the Sackboy player(s) progression, and it makes for some interesting gameplay - the Move player often has to rearrange blocks too large for an ordinary sackboy to form bridges and steps, pull levers, and, in one level, shield Sackboy from fiery meteors falling from the sky.

The very first Move puzzle we're confronted with is a building a small tower of blocks so Sackboy can reach some point bubbles and the new addition to the game - Special Bubbles. These Special Bubbles are basically representative of Prize Bubbles, although there are only around five in each level, and serve no purpose excepting slightly boosting your score and counting towards trophies.

Being a Playstation Network download, Prehistoric Moves has a PSN style trophy list with a small number of trophies and no platinum. It's worth noting that the other people you’re playing with won’t get to earn trophies while playing with you – only the profile you’re playing on unlocks trophies, which is a bit of a shame.

The game is fairly short, and, especially if you’re an experienced LittleBigPlaneteer, it won’t take too long to complete the game’s ten levels. However, you will probably die quite a fair few times. For me, most deaths were due to poor communication between players, but communicating well with each other is all part of the fun. Other deaths were often caused by those troublesome moments where you have to adjust your crosshair position because the camera’s moved.

I experienced playing with someone who isn’t too familiar with the LittleBigPlanet gameplay mechanics acting as Sackboy, and I felt it was a little harsh on them as whether you succeed or fail rests mainly on their shoulders - perhaps the balance between the Move and Sackboy gameplay needs to be adjusted.

The game will make regular LBP players come back to it again to Ace all the levels and pick up the remaining Special Bubbles and trophies, and that will keep you amused for about 5 or so hours if you're playing without a walkthrough; otherwise the game will only last you for about 1-2 hours.

The lack of any form of Create mode, or even the ability to unlock the Move as a new tool in LBP2’s Create mode after playing Prehistoric Moves, is a little disappointing as this would definitely throw the doors open even further for all of those talented LBP creators. Even I had a few ideas of how the Move could be implemented well.

Prehistoric Moves is a great game to play with friends and show off the Move’s capabilities, and displays some serious potential for what LBP could accomplish with the Move, but the game’s lack of online and create modes, short length and the closed-door nature of the collectibles make the game feel unconnected to the rest of the LittleBigPlanet universe. If you enjoy LittleBigPlanet, I would avoid buying via the Playstation Store and pick up a copy of LittleBigPlanet 2 instead. You’ll have Prehistoric Moves, but you’ll also have the brilliant LBP2 to play as well.